Page 43 of Take the Bait

Hanna felt a flurry of butterflies in her stomach, and not the good kind. What questions did you ask your boyfriend’s family when you were only just meeting them at Thanksgiving and you couldn’t totally figure out why he liked you in the first place?

“Where’s Shawny?” Pop asked.

“Right here, Pop. Sheesh.”

A tall, muscular man with a scowl walked toward Hanna. Tucker had told her the most about his best friend—how they basically grew up together, how Shawn helped him get the restaurant up and running, how he was an unapologetic fuckboy.

“Hi, Shawn.”

“Hanna.”

She gulped, then fiddled with the edge of her sleeve. Dear God, did he hate her? Why? Should she leave? Did everyone think it was weird that she was here and not with her own family? Were they wondering why Tucker wasn’t here yet?

Pop clapped Shawn on the back and gave him a firm look. “That how you greet your best friend’s girl?”

“No, it’s not a big deal, don’t worry about it,” Hanna rushed to say. “It’s weird, right? A total stranger at your family Thanksgiving, and Tucker’s not even here yet. I have no clue what’s going on at the restaurant, but it must be important. I mean, I don’t really know why it’s open on Thanksgiving. Do they really get that much business? But I guess that’s why I’m a kindergarten teacher and not a chef or a business owner. Tucker actually came to my class last week and taught the kids how tomake a little snack mix. It was really cute! He called it kiddie crunch. The kidslovedit. Well, you know, it’s hard to get kids to do anything with the holidays around the corner, but they loved having Tucker come in. I guess I thought he’d want to cook Thanksgiving too, but it sounds like he leaves that to Ida and Gary—I mean, Grams and Pop.”

Hanna took a deep breath, noticing everyone around her was blinking with a mix of amusement and dismay. A trickle of sweat fell down her spine. “I’m sorry. I’m being really awkward, aren’t I? It’s just, I ramble when I’m nervous. And not to make this more awkward, but I’mreallynervous. I mean, I’ve never really had a boyfriend before, and then Tucker and I met, and it all happened so fast, and now I’m having Thanksgiving with his family? I mean, my family doesn’t even know we’re dating. Yet. I mean, not like he’s a dirty little secret I’m keeping. Not, like,dirtydirty! I mean, just that, I haven’t had the chance to tell them.”

A fluttering sensation churned in her chest. She wanted to climb out of her skin.

Shut up, Hanna. Shut. The. Fuck. Up.

“I mean, notnotdirty. Tucker definitely knows what he’s doing, if you know what I mean. Oh God, I mean—I don’t know why I said that. Can someone please cut me off and take me out of my misery before I tell you every embarrassing thing floating around in my stupid brain?”

Hanna forced herself to take multiple sips of her wine as silence echoed around her. Were they going to kick her out? Should she just leave and put everyone out of their misery? Maybe she should move, for real.

“I like her,” Shawn said looking around at the people gathered before resting his gaze on Hanna, a smirk tugging at his lips. “I can see why Tuck is so into you. You’re exactly what he needs.”

“Agreed.” Grams beamed.

“Don’t be nervous, Hanna,” Angie said, intertwining their arms. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but we’re so happy you’re here. Rambling and all.”

Hanna’s heart warmed at how easily they welcomed her despite the way her heart still pounded in her chest. She wanted to kick herself. Not just for the embarrassing word vomit of information, but also for the nagging feeling she couldn’t seem to shake—that this was all just too good to be true. And despite Angie’s kind words of encouragement, Hanna still wasn’t convinced.

More than that, she was realizing how this was all too much, too soon. She’d never done this before. Never really had a boyfriend at all, let alone met the family—especially not during the holidays.

She wasn’t cut out for this—for meeting new people on a high-stress holiday, for having a boyfriend at all, really. She desperately wanted what her sister had with Madi, but lately, she just felt like there was no world where that would happen for her.

Truth was, she was scared.

Scared as hell, actually.

And all of this… it was overwhelming. It skyrocketed her fears from levels on par with jumping off a high dive to something more like going skydiving in the middle of the Pacific.

She wanted to combust, but she let Angie lead her to a sitting room while the rest of the family mingled around her.

“So you’re a kindergarten teacher?” Angie said.

Hanna nodded, stretching her lips into a smile. Where she had a surplus of words earlier, she now seemed to have none.

“How long have you been doing that, sweetie?” Grams asked.

“Oh, just a few years,” Hanna swallowed. “Moved down here after graduating college and started teaching right away. I love my kids, but it’s been a little… lonely here.”

Shut up, shut up, shut up.

They’re going to think you’re just a big loser.

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